The hunt for suspected Islamist militants continues across western Europe as EU ministers meet in Brussels to coordinate responses to the violence in France and Belgium. And Belgian troops, deployed on the city's streets, have been authorized to use deadly force.

The attacks in Paris last week were carried out with automatic weapons, including a variant of the AK47. These kinds of weapons are very difficult to obtain legally anywhere in the European Union, which has led many to wonder where the accused attackers got their weapons.

From the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices to the bloody end of a nationwide manhunt, events in France this week have laid bare the fault lines with, and within, the country's Muslim population. That tension extends far beyond France's borders, and into almost every other European country.

European leaders agreed Tuesday to impose tough economic sanctions against Russia. The new measures are designed to place broad pressure on the Russian economy and force Vladimir Putin into de-escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine. But will the new measures work?

No more ties. No more "losing," but still "winning." All bets are off at the World Cup in Brazil, and if you lose, you're going home. So now that it's serious, it means that Americans overseas have to decide where their loyalties lie. From his perch in a Brussels cafe, The World's Clark Boyd comes to terms with Tuesday's clash between the US and Belgium.

The World Cup is trouble for anyone on the fence about soccer. Everything from scoreless ties to animals predicting the outcome of the games is enough to drive someone nuts. Still, The World's Clark Boyd is trying to fall in love with the "beautiful game." And that's why he's rooting for Belgium.

What is at stake in the ongoing Syrian civil war? Enough that the US is considering increasing its role in supporting the rebels — perhaps providing direct military support and training. Meanwhile, Roman Catholic Pope Francis says he might consider allowing priests to marry, while Belgium considers the possibility a hitman was behind an attack on a Jewish museum this weekend. That and more in today's Global Scan.

NATO foreign ministers have agreed to suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation with Russia, in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea. NATO will also review military deployments in eastern Europe.

In the European Union, every language is an official language. Government officials speak in the official language of their country, and those comments are then translated into 22, soon to be 23, other languages. All of that costs $1.4 billion per year — and that total will increase when Croatian becomes an official language later this year.

The US may be #1 in some areas, but it's topped in at least one by tiny Belgium. Belgium may hold the record, at least for developed countries, for days without a government - at 589 days. And, that seems to work pretty well... for Belgians.

Belgian Adolphe Sax invented a number of musical instruments, though none has had quite the impact of the saxophone. When a listener to PRI's The World asked us to dive into Sax's story, Clark Boyd took the challenge.

A Swiss vote to bring back strict immigration quotas for Europeans is drawing criticism from France, Germany, and others in the European Union. But it is being praised by nationalist parties in Europe, too.

NATO foreign ministers have agreed to suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation with Russia, in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea. NATO will also review military deployments in eastern Europe.

The World Cup is trouble for anyone on the fence about soccer. Everything from scoreless ties to animals predicting the outcome of the games is enough to drive someone nuts. Still, The World's Clark Boyd is trying to fall in love with the "beautiful game." And that's why he's rooting for Belgium.

Mark Schneider has been obsessed with Napoleon since he was a kid. Now, he's in the running to play the famous French general at the 200th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium.

Belgium is in a class by itself when it comes to chocolate, fries and beer. But the tiny country's unique contributions to global culture don't stop there. Just ask Brussels-based artist David Helbich, who has spent the past few years documenting all the deliciously surreal, absurdly poetic ways the Belgians manage to solve their everyday problems.

Belgian Adolphe Sax invented a number of musical instruments, though none has had quite the impact of the saxophone. When a listener to PRI's The World asked us to dive into Sax's story, Clark Boyd took the challenge.

The US may be #1 in some areas, but it's topped in at least one by tiny Belgium. Belgium may hold the record, at least for developed countries, for days without a government - at 589 days. And, that seems to work pretty well... for Belgians.

Belgium is in a class by itself when it comes to chocolate, fries and beer. But the tiny country's unique contributions to global culture don't stop there. Just ask Brussels-based artist David Helbich, who has spent the past few years documenting all the deliciously surreal, absurdly poetic ways the Belgians manage to solve their everyday problems.

The World Cup is trouble for anyone on the fence about soccer. Everything from scoreless ties to animals predicting the outcome of the games is enough to drive someone nuts. Still, The World's Clark Boyd is trying to fall in love with the "beautiful game." And that's why he's rooting for Belgium.

The attacks in Paris last week were carried out with automatic weapons, including a variant of the AK47. These kinds of weapons are very difficult to obtain legally anywhere in the European Union, which has led many to wonder where the accused attackers got their weapons.

From the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices to the bloody end of a nationwide manhunt, events in France this week have laid bare the fault lines with, and within, the country's Muslim population. That tension extends far beyond France's borders, and into almost every other European country.

The hunt for suspected Islamist militants continues across western Europe as EU ministers meet in Brussels to coordinate responses to the violence in France and Belgium. And Belgian troops, deployed on the city's streets, have been authorized to use deadly force.

No more ties. No more "losing," but still "winning." All bets are off at the World Cup in Brazil, and if you lose, you're going home. So now that it's serious, it means that Americans overseas have to decide where their loyalties lie. From his perch in a Brussels cafe, The World's Clark Boyd comes to terms with Tuesday's clash between the US and Belgium.